Julen Lopetegui has been sacked as Real Madrid manager only four months into the job that cost him his chance to lead Spain at the World Cup. Earlier in June, Lopetegui was sacked by the Spanish Football Federation after the RFEF president, Luis Rubiales, claimed to have found out only five minutes before the appointment was made public and two days before the tournament began; now he has been dismissed by Madrid just a day after Real Madrid suffered a humiliating 5 – 1 defeat in El Clasico clash against Barcelona. The club’s Castilla coach, Santiago Solari, will take over on an interim basis starting on Tuesday.

The statement reads:

“Real Madrid’s board met today on 29 Oct 2018 and has agreed to end the contract linking coach Julen Lopetegui with the club. This decision has been taken to change the dynamic in which the first team finds itself, when all the objectives for the season are still achievable.

“The board understands that there is a big difference between the quality of Real Madrid’s squad, which has eight players nominated for the next Ballon D’Or, something without precedent in the history of the club, and the results obtained to date. The club thanks Julen Lopetegui and all his staff for their effort and the work done, and wishes them all the best in their professional careers.”